A fish out of water

The brave men and women of the Indonesian Military (TNI) on Tuesday commemorated the 59th anniversary of the armed forces. Few elements in this nation-state are so closely associated with the opus of independence as the armed forces. It was through the combined effort of a fledgling, yet resolute, armed force, emphatic diplomacy and the people's painful sacrifice, that independence was brought forth to the world's largest archipelago.

Through its history, the TNI has evolved according to the times and challenges before them. Sometimes it is a natural realignment, other times they were coerced into change. For much of the last four decades the TNI has largely been a tool of coercion to perpetuate autocratic regimes. While there were memorable highlights -- such as the participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions and the 1981 Woyla hijacking rescue -- this period, for the most part, must be remembered as a dark time in the military's long history. A legacy of arbitrary killings, tortures, abductions and dubious profit-taking ventures to build plush retirement funds for top officers.

From a ragtag force that brought hope to an oppressed people, the TNI eventually became a resented force; the oppressors themselves. The result has been a sense of false entitlement for anyone wearing a military uniform -- to many here the epitome of absolute power. Many of these once revered figures have let their discipline run astray.

We often hear their excuses of how the military was "cajoled" into serving the Soeharto regime, or about their eternal mission to ensure the survival of the state with all its iconic symbols, or how it is the chaos of a civilian run administration that has propelled the military to remain politically engaged.

These arguments may or may not have merit, and for now we shall leave it to military historians to discuss. What is clear is that we are now in a time of change.

The nation now enters a new era of democracy with the first ever directly elected president. Likewise, the military should utilize this opportunity by asserting the most fundamental of tenets of any democratic system: That the military is an instrument of the people.

One of the greatest lessons the military will have to endure in the coming years -- provided they have the political will to do so -- is a disposition to become subservient to a democratically elected civilian administration.

The parameters are set -- the military is no longer allotted seats in the legislature; the police are now independent of the military infrastructure; the newly passed TNI bill also bars active military personnel from engaging in business and joining political parties.

But here in, like the debate of the TNI bill, lies the crux of the matter. Is there sufficient political will from the TNI to change their mindset?

Many articles and issues were debated in the deliberation of the bill, chief among them was the military's territorial role. It became glaringly evident during these debates -- both inside and outside the House of Representatives -- that there exists an inherent distrust of the military institution. The essence of the debate on whether the military should have such regional commands really centered on the inherent fear over the TNI's predisposition to abuse political power through these commands.

Laws can be amended and new ones introduced, but it will not help to improve the TNI's image. It doesn't matter how good a written law is if the subject being regulated does not generate trust.

This is what the TNI faces as it enters its seventh decade. Fortunately, the advent of political reform has provided a context for which the TNI can re-establish its image as apolitical guardians of the people.

The late Gen. A.H. Nasution once described the relationship of the military to the people as a fish is to water. If it does not change its mindset, our beloved TNI will continue to be a fish out of water.